Turn out the lights, the party’s over…welcome back to reality

Day 13 of the road trip…heading home.

Woke up on day 13 of the road trip happy…and not just because 13 is one of my lucky numbers, but also because I have learned so much from this road trip.  What my mom sent me early on in the trip was correct, something in me did change.

On the last day we woke up in Wenatchee at my Aunts house, we ate breakfast, hugged my aunt and cousin’s son goodbye, loaded up Ron Burgandy for the last time and headed out on our last leg of our road trip.

It was a quiet ride home.  I know we were all feeling a little nostalgic, and had some reservations about coming home…to reality.

We arrived at our cars, cleaned out Ron Burgandy, gave him a big hug and kiss, hugged each other and we all drove off towards our homes.  Dana and Beth first dropped off RB at the car rental place.  Hopefully they both said their goodbyes to RB a second time…I would have.

The three of us had a really great time on our road trip.  I think I speak for all of us by saying that the three of us would all take a road trip with each other again.  We traveled well together.

I will also say that I learned some things while being away for 13 days, driving around the country in a burgundy van with friends.

I have listed some of them here, and the longer I’m home I’m sure that I will think of even more.

Pick your travel mates carefully.  Make sure that you all have the same idea about how the trip will go and what you each are hoping to get out of it.  I live with my very busy son who is not home a lot and with my cats, I’m not used to being around the same people 24/7 for 13 days.  These types of trips could end friendships…but it can also make some friendships even stronger.

I know now, more than ever that I can do this ‘traveling thing’ by myself.  This trip empowered me.  I know I can be on my own, traveling the country, finding work when I need to, navigating the roads and listening to my ‘gut’ about decisions I need to make.

This has also empowered me to be stronger in my life, with people, with work, with everything.  That I need to stand up for myself more, truly say how I feel and be true to myself.

I realized how much writing is a part of me.  How amazing it feels to put what’s swirling in my head out into the world.  I will be writing a lot more now than I did before this trip.  It’s like therapy for me…it makes me happy.

I’ve been debating for a while about what mode of transportation I would like to have for my long trip.  I know now that I will either travel with a small camper on the back of a truck, or a small travel trailer that I can tow behind a vehicle of my choice.  Hotels are way too expensive to stay in every night.  And if I want to camp by a river for four days and sit out by the rushing water, writing, then that’s what I want to be able to do.

I realized that one of the big issues on the road is wifi.  We needed wifi to upload our hundreds of pictures we took each day to Snapfish to make room on our phones for more pictures.  I actually had to increase my data plan to upload pictures.  Plus, in order for  me to upload into my blog I have to have wifi.  I debated for a long time about whether to spend the extra money to have a mifi for my future travels but I have decided that I don’t need that extra expense every month.  There are so many places that have free wifi that it’s ridiculous.  Even some rest area’s along the way had free wifi.  As for my blog, it doesn’t hurt to wait to load up my posts.  The world won’t end, that’s for sure.

It’s tough enough for people to be themselves, to live authentic.  I like to live my life how I want to as long as I’m not hurting anyone in the process.  I accept people for who they are, quirks and all, and I need to surround myself with people who love me for me, not for who they think I should be, or who they want me to be or what they think they can gain from being my friend.  Our lives are so damn short, they really are, so why would I waste my time trying to please people.  I need to surround myself with other ‘weirdo’s’, with people who appreciate me for me…just as I am.

Everyone has a story, EVERYONE.  And their stories need to be heard.  I need to lend my non-judgmental ear to those that would honor me with their story.  I need to remember to shut my mouth sometimes, and just listen.  Listen to what other people have to say.  Their voices, their thoughts, are just as important as mine.  I don’t need to live by what they say, but I damn sure better listen and try to understand their life, their way of living, their way of thinking. 

And lastly I learned that…life can change in an instant.  Just like that, poof, things can change.

One way my life will change in the next couple of months…

While on vacation I got a call saying that the owner of my McMansion that I rent is putting it up for sale.  So, my son, my cat’s and I will be moving within the next month or so and I’m going to do something I thought that I would never do.  I will be renting one of my parents rentals next to the house I grew up in.  It will help us, and it will help my parents.  We won’t have to go through the pain of trying to find a decent place for us to live with cats, and it will help my parents by allowing us to help them fix up the house so that when they are ready, they can sell it.  It may be a year or so before they put it on the market, but at least it will be ready, and they will have full access to it.  And my son will be able to help out my parents with all of their projects, my mom can spoil my child even more then she already does and we will have a place to live for as long as we want without the threat of having to move again.

If that isn’t reality smacking me upside the head, I don’t know what it is…

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